Module 4.1.

Classroom
Management
At the end of this module you will:

 understand the overall aim of TEFL

 know how to facilitate communication
 know techniques which encourage students to listen and learn
 know techniques which encourage students to speak

Aims
The overall aim of teaching English as a Foreign Language is to involve all the students
all the time.
Remember that we are teaching communication, this means we want our students to
talk (in English of course). It can be difficult for teachers of other disciplines to switch
from preventing students from talking!
You have very little teaching time and the students need to learn a great deal if they are
to achieve any degree of fluency or if their goal is to pass an exam.

Classroom Management
In order to achieve your aim you must be able to 'manage' your class. There are
techniques which good EFL teachers follow making the management of their classes
more professional, skilful and above all which facilitate the achievement of the overall
aim of involving all the students all the time.
It is not expected that teachers will religiously stick to all the following techniques, every
teacher develops his/her own style of management, but incorporating as many as
possible into every lesson is essential in order to achieve your aim.

Look At All The Students In The Class

Switch your gaze from side to side and back to front of your class. It is so easy to stick
with an area of friendly faces, but this is unfair on the others who will then not be so
involved in the lesson.
Vary Your Question Technique
Questions are a way of compelling attention. If someone is yawning at the back of the
class it is tempting to wake them up with a direct question, but there is a more useful
method which compels the attention of everyone.
Don't start with the name of the student you are addressing eg "Halil, what was the
name of the driver?" Immediately you say "Halil", the rest of the class switch off. Instead
say, "What was the name of the driver?" Pause, look around. Everyone will work out the
answer, not knowing who you will ask. When you finally ask Halil, the other students will
listen to see if his answer corresponds with theirs. BUT remember not to humiliate
students who are regularly in this position!

Who to Ask
Don't go round the class when asking questions. Those furthest away will relax,
knowing that their turn is some time off, and those already questioned will completely
switch off as they will probably not be asked again.
Particularly make it a rule that you don't ask comprehension type questions in order so
that e.g. the fifth student along knows he will get question 5 - he will spend all his time
working out the answer to question 5 and will not hear or read the text nor will he hear
anyone else's question or answer.
Instead, dart around with your questions and sometimes go back to keep everyone on
their toes.

Include Everyone
Make sure everyone is called upon equally. This is particularly difficult when you are
darting around with your questions. Students at the back and the 'wings' must not be
forgotten.

Seating
Make sure that all the students can see the visual aids. If you make your own, think of
the student with poor sight!
Group students rather than seat them in rows. No communication can take place when
students are looking at the back of someone's head. The best arrangement is a circle -
all students can be involved and they become a community. Often you will need to
rearrange the furniture, do not be afraid to do this and to explain that you are doing this
to aid communication. If you cannot achieve the best, a semi-circle or some sort of
group arrangement will work.

L.T.T.T.
Limit Teacher Talking Time - the teacher is the stimulator and the students should be
responding.

Make It Easy For Your Students

It is essential to write clearly. You may need practice. It is not as easy as it looks to write
on a black/white board and keep it straight!
Print wherever possible. This is especially important if any of the students you are
teaching use a different script in their own language.
Use an orderly, logical arrangement. It can be very confusing if you dart around the
board using arrows etc.
Don't write everything in capital letters. Only use them where they should be used in
English. In some languages capital letters have a different significance/purpose.

Encouragement
Your students need encouragement. Even if the answer you get is completely incorrect
don't say 'NO!', try intonation which means 'No, but...' then allow someone you know will
have the correct answer to give their version. Don't be afraid to use 'good' frequently,
even if it has to be 'Good, but let's hear X's answer' (when you know that his/her answer
will be better).This will encourage student Y to try again another time. 'NO!'
may discourage.

Grammatical Terminology
Use as little of this as possible, but know it yourself for use with advanced classes and
language-conscious nationalities. They will ask and put you on the spot. Remember to
use deductive analysis to get out of awkward situations. BUT remember you should
know your stuff if you want to keep your credibility intact!

Use Outside Class

 Encourage students to use English outside the class as much as possible. Graded
readers are available from most publishers at most levels; newspapers are always
available in English, some are written for the expatriate community and contain useful
articles.
Ask your students for the latest news each morning - this will get them into the habit of
finding out on their way into school or listening to the BBC World Service which is
especially for the overseas market.

Levels
Take account of different levels in your class. Mix the bright with the less so in pair and
group work. Ask the ones who have a grasp of what you are doing FIRST, they will then
be a model for the others to copy.
Use students to teach - the others will sit up and pay attention to a fellow student!

Individual Problems
It will be appreciated by all if these are dealt with after class, but don't forget to deal with
the problem, it may be very important to that student.

Learning Styles
As you gain experience as a teacher of EFL you will come to realise that not all students
learn in the same way. It is worth noting here that you may have many different types of
learner in a class at any one time.
A learning ‘style’ is an individual predisposition to learn in a particular way. It is likely
that the preferred learning style of any one learner will manifest itself in all aspects of
learning, not just in relation to learning a foreign language. Though you, as their teacher
for a few hours per week, do not need to study and analyse each student’s individual
style, these differences may become obvious and cannot be ignored. If you are teaching
on a one to one basis you will, and should, get to know and work with your student’s
individual approach to learning.

Look at the following statements made by EFL students:

 I want my teacher to correct all my mistakes

 I want to be in an easier class so that I can understand everything on the tapes
 I don’t want to study grammar in class, I can do that at home
 I like my teacher because she lets me ask questions about things I want to know
 I like working in a pair with a student who is better than me
 I had a frustrating weekend because I ran out of simplified readers
 I didn’t buy anything when I went out because I didn’t know how to ask for it
 I know the rule but I forget it when I’m speaking
 I know I make mistakes when I speak, but they understand me

Of course you cannot deal with every individual positive or negative approach to
learning, but be aware that these, and more, exist and are possibly all in your class!

Correction
Correction of written work has already been covered earlier in the course, but oral work
can be more difficult to correct.
Make notes during discussion work rather than interrupting to correct individual
mistakes. Afterwards you can take up individual mistakes or make a point of something
that seems to be a problem for more than one student.

Student Names
Pronounce the names of your students correctly. It is no excuse that their names are
very difficult to remember let alone pronounce.
Make yourself a seating plan/chart and write their names phonetically, you would not
like it if you were always called the wrong name or almost the right name but not quite.
You may inadvertently change the sex of the person by changing one letter in their
name! Getting their names right as soon as possible shows your respect for them as
people.